But first, here’s our take on today’s top story:Russia: President Vladimir Putin will visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates tomorrow before meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Moscow on Thursday. The visit to the Gulf marks Putin’s first trip beyond Iran, China and the former Soviet states since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. (New York Times)Our Take: It has become a common narrative in the West that the war in Ukraine has turned Putin, and by extension Russia, into a pariah. Putin’s trips to Saudi Arabia and the UAE tomorrow underscore this. In the case of these meetings, Putin is expected to discuss oil production and the Israel-Hamas war, on which Russia’s position is more in line with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, compared to that of the United States.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 06, 2023 08:37 UTC